As warfare has progressed through the ages, weapons more and more sophisticated have evolved. Of course, weapons have become more powerful and accurate. And they have also become more compact, more reliable, lighter weight and easier to operate, to maximize their overall effectiveness. But most weapons, even modem weapons, are "dedicated" in the sense that they are capable of delivering only one type of projectile. The present invention relates to reversibly configuring a single hand-held weapon such that it is capable of delivering multiple types of projectiles. More particularly, the present invention relates to quick attaching/detaching a supplemental launching device, preferably a grenade launcher, to an automatic rifle such as an M16, thus increasing the versatility and effectiveness of the M16; and doing so in such a way that only minimal no-tool changes are required to enable the M16 to accept the supplemental device.
It should be noted that a commonly-assigned copending application discloses a method and apparatus for attaching a supplemental device to a host weapon that is not altered in any material way. In fact, in the most preferred embodiment of that copending application, no changes at all need to be made to the host weapon prior to attaching to it the supplemental device. While that approach has many advantages, Applicant perceives that another highly advantageous approach is to slightly alter or reconfigure the host weapon in the field, without the need for tools, threaded fasteners, etc., prior to attaching the supplemental device to the host weapon. The present invention relates to the "slight alteration" approach, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that this approach has its own advantages, depending on the desired characteristics of the host weapon and the host/supplemental device combination. These advantages are discussed at length below.
As noted above, the present invention relates primarily to automatic or semiautomatic or assault rifles. The automatic rifle is a weapon that can fire a number of rounds in quick succession. Such operation is accomplished in view of the fact that the functions of firing and reloading are performed by the weapon itself. These functions include firing the cartridge, withdrawing the bolt, ejecting the spent cartridge case, cocking the hammer, forcing the bolt forward, and inserting a fresh cartridge into the chamber ready to fire. The energy for performing these functions is provided in one of two ways: by the pressure of the gas produced by the firing of the cartridges (in gas operated weapons) or by the recoil of the weapon itself. The M16 is one particularly effective type of automatic rifle, and the present invention will be described with the M16 as an example; but those skilled in the art will understand that in no way is the invention limited to the M16.
Another type of weapon which has altered the face of conventional warfare is the grenade launcher. The M79 grenade launcher is a shoulder fired weapon which has been used by the U.S. Army now for some time. While the effectiveness of hand-thrown grenades is limited in both distance and accuracy, weapons such as the M79 improve the accuracy with which a grenade can be projected and certainly greatly extend the distance over which grenades can be projected.
The M79 grenade launcher is a dedicated weapon. That is, it is used for one purpose and not in combination with other weapons.
More recently, the M203 grenade launcher has been developed and implemented as a weapon system in the arsenal of the armed forces of the United States. The M203 is the successor of the M79. The desirability of the M203 as compared to the M79 resides in the fact that it fulfills a requirement for a rifle/grenade launcher package, whereas the M79 was only a dedicated grenade launcher.
The M203 is a weapon system that, when operational, is attached to an M16 rifle. Although relatively light in weight, it nevertheless does add some additional weight to the rifle with which it is used. Optimally, the weapon carried by an infantry soldier should be as light as possible at any particular time.
The prior art includes various techniques for reversibly configuring an M16 rifle to accept a M203 style grenade launcher. One such technique is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,489. The '489 technique involved the clamping of an "upper rack" to the underside of the barrel of an M16, using threaded fasteners or the like. A "lower rack" was secured to the upper surface of a M203 grenade launcher, also using threaded fasteners or the like. The upper and lower racks were designed to be easily and quickly connected and disconnected to one another in the field, thereby reversibly connecting the grenade launcher to the rifle, without the need for tools or threaded fasteners.
The '489 technique was advantageous over previous techniques in that the lower and upper racks, respectively, could be assembled to the grenade launcher and rifle well ahead of time. In the field, then, all that was required was for the operator to make a quick, no-tools connection of the lower rack/grenade launcher assembly to the upper rack/rifle assembly. The only disadvantage of the '489 approach, as perceived by Applicant, is that the '489 technique requires either that the upper rack be attached to the rifle in the field, a process that can take several minutes and require tools and the handling of small threaded fasteners; or that the upper rack be pre-installed, which then results in an increase in the weight of the M16, as well as a change in the balance of the weapon.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is an apparatus for allowing selective and rapid configuration and reconfiguration of an automatic rifle as a grenade launcher, wherein there is no need to pre-install an upper rack or the like on the rifle and wherein the entire rack or bar assembly, sometimes called the "interbar," can be attached to or integral with the grenade launcher; and wherein the grenade launcher/interbar combination can be quickly and easily reversibly attached to a minimally altered rifle in the field, without the need for tools. As such, the present invention solves problems existent in the prior art and satisfies requirements dictated by the need for light weight and efficient, easy-to-use weapon systems.
Applicant has also perceived another potential problem with prior art techniques for attaching a supplemental device, e.g., a grenade launcher assembly, to a rifle, relating to the sling strap of the rifle. In the past, when a grenade launcher was attached to a host weapon, the forward sling strap attachment would have to be modified to move the strap out of the trajectory of the grenade launcher. Usually this was done by the addition of a supplemental forward sling strap attachment point, using tools, on the host weapon itself. Alternatively, operators often improvised various informal ways of attaching the sling strap to the host. One aspect of the present invention obviates the need for modifying the host weapon, or informal modifications of the sling strap in the field.
Finally, Applicant has perceived the need for a sight on a combination host weapon/supplemental device (e.g., automatic rifle/grenade launcher) for the supplemental device, without requiring modification of the host weapon or the use of tools or the like. A preferred such sight would be easily adjustable, usable on either side of the weapon, and be easily and ambidextrously adjustable for windage and elevation, preferably without the need for special tools that may not be readily available in the field. One aspect of the present invention addresses this need as well.
Thus, the present invention addresses the problems discussed above with prior art weapons. In particular and in its most preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for quickly and easily attaching a supplemental device such as a grenade launcher to a host weapon such as an automatic rifle, with only minimal alteration of the host weapon (that is, prior to the supplemental device being attached); a technique for handling the sling strap of a host weapon when a supplemental device is attached; and a way to provide a sight for the supplemental device without having to permanently modify the host weapon.